75 Actions

What to check when buying a used car?You don't have to do it on every car you look at, but I'd say it would be foolish to buy a used forced induction car without doing it. It's certainly much, much cheaper than the cost of repairing any problems that doing the test before buying would've exposed. And a compression tester can be purchased for under $50; performing the test is no more difficult than changing the spark plugs. If a shop quotes you several hundred dollars for it they are overcharging.

Help setting up Bi-Xenon lights with h4 wiringThe site I linked to, I think they will sell just the wiring harness and ballast controller module. If it's not in their online store you can probably just email them, @KeeganMcCarthy worth it imho.

Dec26

comment

Help setting up Bi-Xenon lights with h4 wiringLong or short (and it will be short), it's still causing a hot re-strike which will shorten your bulb life (can't find any solid info on how much, but know that all factory systems implement measures to avoid hot re-strikes).

How effective are exhaust patch kits?While I haven't used one of those patch kits, the link you posted states, "It is meant as a temporary, or short term repair for a broken or rusted tailpipe." Is a temporary or short-term repair what you are looking for?

Cost of replacing struts on a 99 camry - and is it doable on our own?I'll throw in there that while compressing the spring can be dangerous, it's not terribly complicated or easy to screw up. You rent or buy a specially shaped clamp that attaches to the spring and apply force to compress the spring so that it is not pushing against the top hat on the strut. Brian is correct that if it slips off it can launch with a great deal of force, however. Also, Brian's comments about accessing bolts and rust is spot on - that will determine the ease or difficulty of the job for a home mechanic.

Apr17

comment

High Octane petrol's effect on turbosHis Saab does not require a minimum of 93 octane. That is not even widely available; there are many areas where 91 is the highest commonly available octane. The owner's manual, as you suggest, will list the recommended octane for optimum performance (and mileage), and the minimum - which for Saab 9-3's is likely to be either 87 or 89 (and many Saab owners find the increased mileage from using 90+ makes it more economical than using a lower octane fuel).